Creativity Unlimited: Thinking Inside the Box for Business Innovation

6

What is creativity?

This book is not about how to define creativity, so we won't get bogged down in long discussions of concepts and alternative wordings. Instead we will become acquainted with three main aspects of creativity: the result, the process and the person. We will also take the opportunity to kill off some deep-rooted myths.

By this stage, you should be convinced of the importance of creativity. You would now probably do better in the introductory test of your potential as a successful business innovator, because you have increased your motivation to think in novel and different ways (questions 4–6). But let us wait before retaking the test as there are so many other tests we have to take before reaching our goal. The next is the classic dots test shown in Figure 6.1. Take a few minutes to try to solve the following problem: Connect all the dots by four straight lines – without lifting your pen from the paper.

Did you succeed? Probably not. But don't worry about it. Most people who try to solve the problem fail the first time. Of course, it is quite likely that you have seen the problem before, because it is, as I said, a real classic among creativity exercises. But, as a rule, that is not much help. The bizarre thing is that most of us forget exactly how to do it and then spend more time and trouble trying to remember the solution than using our energy to think creatively ...